The North Carolina State Highway Patrol announced that a state trooper located a missing Danville woman who was found stranded during the winter storms on the weekend of Jan. 25.
According to officials, Trooper K.T Underwood was dispatched to the area of Green Tree Road in Caswell County regarding a vehicle in a ditch at 7:40 a.m. on Jan. 25.
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Due to the snow and icy weather conditions that were blanketing the region, Trooper Underwood navigated extremely poor road conditions to finally arrive to the area, ultimately having to turn around inside of the Virginia border to reach the North Carolina portion of Green Tree Road.
Officials say upon arriving on the scene, Underwood successfully located the vehicle that had traveled approximately 70-75ft downhill and was not visible from the highway at all. The vehicle was covered in snow and ice and did not appear to be running. As Underwood approached the vehicle, he noticed there was an occupant inside of it.
Trooper Underwood made contact with the 81-year-old woman from Danville. The woman stated she had become lost the previous evening after purchasing groceries and pulled over to enter her home address into her GPS. She went on to explain that after pulling over, her vehicle slid off the icy roadway and into the embankment and remained stuck.
As the officer identified the woman, it was discovered that the woman and her vehicle had been reported missing by the Pittsylvania County Sheriff’s office the previous day.
The woman had spent a grueling night in the car where temperatures reached the lower teens. The woman was evaluated by emergency responders and stated that she did not need to go to the hospital and she would much rather go home.
“Trooper Underwood exhibited tremendous persistence in locating the vehicle as well as immense professionalism while interacting with the driver, and we commend him for such a job well done. Above all, we commend this courageous woman for her boundless bravery and unbroken will to fight during a time when survival was on the line.” The Highway Patrol stated in part.